2026 Climate Benchmark – Frequently Asked Questions by companies

The Climate Benchmark assesses companies on their responsibility to transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon economy, and in a way that is fair, inclusive and mindful of its impact on workers, communities and other affected stakeholders. See our methodologies for more information, or watch the recording of our workshop that we conducted earlier this year.

The World Benchmarking Alliance has moved from assessing 450 companies from the highest-emitting sectors on their need to align with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, to assessing 2,000 companies on the credibility and integrity of their climate transition plans every two years. The results of this first Climate Benchmark cycle will be published in January 2026. We may also re-assess specific sectors in the intervening year. If this applies to your company, we will inform you in advance.

In a carbon-constrained world, every gram of CO2 matters, and every innovation is valuable. Every company, regardless of its sector, has a role to play in the transition to a global low-carbon economy, building resilience to climate impacts, and ensuring that no one is left behind. Furthermore, providing solutions for workers and communities is essential to ensuring broad support for climate action and ensuring that we transition at the necessary pace.

Not all companies need a formal transition plan. We recognise that transition planning is more common in certain sectors than others. That said, we look for evidence of transition planning principles in your public reporting – whether in a dedicated plan or embedded in sustainability or annual reports. Similarly, when assessing companies on their just transition efforts, we look for evidence that the social impacts of your sustainability transition are considered and addressed in your reporting. Our evaluation is based on the quality of disclosures, not the document’s format or label.

The Climate Benchmark produces two separate and complementary evaluations:

• A transition plan maturity rating, ranging from “Uncommitted” to “Credible 1.5°C planning and alignment”. See the ACT Core Methodology, page 10 for further details. Please note that, unlike in other transformations, the 2,000 companies will not be ranked against each other. Instead, the companies will be assessed individually based on the maturity of their transition plans.
• A just transition score out of 100.

These evaluations are not aggregated into a single score to ensure transparency and clarity in all dimensions of performance.

For the Climate Benchmark, we use only publicly available data, including:

• Company financial and sustainability reports
• Public responses to the CDP questionnaire (e.g. on your company’s website)
• Company websites and other publicly accessible materials
• Publicly available data shared during the data validation stage
• Reputable third-party sources such as the Science Based Target Initiative, if publicly accessible

Your company will be assessed based on the most recent publicly available documents or reports published between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025. If no new documents are published during this period, we will use the latest reports from the past two years.

Data that is not publicly accessible by the cut-off date of 31 August 2025 will not be considered for this research cycle. Information behind CDP paywalls is excluded. WBA prioritises company reporting over third-party sources.

Your underlying data for your transition plan rating: Review the underlying data for each attribute and indicator contributing to your score. Your company’s transition plan rating will not be disclosed until January 2026.

Your just transition score: Review each element’s met/unmet status, external comments, and supporting data. Provide additional information from publicly available sources if relevant.

As with other benchmarks, your company will receive an email with a link to access the feedback portal. This email will be sent no later than October 27th. The feedback period is three weeks from the date you receive your draft assessment. After this period, assessments will be finalised and no further changes will be possible.

Please reach out to our climate engagement team to learn more about our events and peer learning sessions.
Dara Karakolis: [email protected]
Maria Azul Schvartzman: [email protected].